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Cover of A Christmas Carol

Classic Fiction

A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

A miserly moneylender is visited by four ghosts who help him see how to honor Christmas in his heart all year round.

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First published
1843
Length
28,655 words
Reading time
About 2 hr
Language
English (UK)

About the book

Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843 and the first edition, published on 19th December, was so successful that it sold out in just six days. The publishers had to produce two further editions between Christmas and the new year to meet the demand, and the novella has never been out of print.

A Christmas Carol tells the story of a greedy money-lender, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is first visited by the ghost of his former business partner and then by three spirits—the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. They show Scrooge’s lack of compassion to him, compelling him to act more compassionately in the future and to honor Christmas in his heart.

First published 1843; the Read4Max reading text contains approximately 28,655 words arranged in 7 navigable sections.

About the author

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812–1870) is described by Wikidata as English novelist and social critic (1812–1870), with citizenship or national association recorded as United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and United Kingdom.

Recorded occupations include writer, novelist, journalist, social critic, playwright, and author. Languages recorded for Charles Dickens include English and British English. The structured record associates Charles Dickens with literary realism. Wikidata lists The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, and Hard Times: For These Times among Charles Dickens's notable works. Open Library identifies A Christmas Carol as a leading work in its author record. Open Library catalogs 7450 works under this author record. The Read4Max catalog currently includes A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, Bleak House, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Hard Times, and Oliver Twist under Charles Dickens's authorship.

1812–1870

Reading options

  • A complete text with direct section navigation in the browser reader.
  • A downloadable EPUB for phones, tablets, desktop reading apps, and compatible ereaders.
  • Book and contributor metadata are checked against the source edition before indexing.

Themes and ideas

  • Christmas stories
  • London (England)
  • Poor families
  • Ghost stories
  • Misers
  • Sick children
  • Scrooge, Ebenezer (Fictitious character)

Table of contents

Open reader
  1. Preface
  2. A Christmas Carol
  3. Stave I
  4. Stave II
  5. Stave III
  6. Stave IV
  7. Stave V
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